Attempt
by Dramatic Insanity
Summary: The pair of practitioners have an overdue chat and learn to not make assumptions. Dr. S/Rob McTodd (Nurse Phantom)


A/N: Decided to try my hand writing these two, since they're two of my favorite background characters. I'm writing this fic… OUT OF A CAVE. Ahem. It's nothing spectacular, but I hope it's decent. Enjoy.

* * *

Rob sat in front of the mirror with his arms around his knees and sighed. He'd thought he was over it, and honestly, he liked his life. The strange reflective piece of wall showed his outside, but he couldn't see his inside.

He wondered if he liked his inside. He wasn't so sure. Rob had been trying to be a better person, but it didn't erase his past mistakes. If he told Doctor S about his doubts, he would probably just suggest an operation to see what was inside of him.

He had a great gig with Doctor S. He was comfortable being in public, even around lemurs who didn't bother to hide their stares.

So why was he moping?

He was no psychologist. However, it was likely there was a deeper cause to his melancholy.

"Nurse Phantom? Ah, there you are my furry little partner."

The familiar nasally tone of his - his _partner_ made him warm under his fur. He just wished it was more official. They were partners in the medicine business, that was all. They lived together, worked together, and Rob was certain that everyone who cared enough thought they were _together _together.

It simply wasn't the case. Maybe that was the reason he was feeling self-conscious. Doctor S was certainly not considered a beauty king himself - it only mattered that Rob found him handsome, everyone else be damned. He couldn't possibly be judgmental, being an eccentric cobra in a lemur land with a shaky doctorate and a questionable practice.

Rob hesitated anyway.

"What are you doing moping - IN A CAVE? When we can be removing limbs - IN A CAVE!"

The patient, who is poor Ted like usual, squeaks, "Limbs?! There's nothing wrong with my limbs! I said I have toothache…"

Rob stood and rubbed the heels of hands against his eyelids. "Not now, Doctor S."

Doctor S slithered closer and wrapped the end of his tail around his arm. "What ails you? If you need it, I am more than willing to put you in an artificial coma again. Of course, I did miss you during that time but -"

"No, that won't be necessary. It's just -"

Doctor S hissed, "Who put this mirror in here?"

Rob jumped back as Doctor S slammed his tail into the mirror, breaking the glass. His tough scales were undamaged by that action.

"One of my few rules - NO MIRRORS IN THE CAVE!"

Rob rubbed his scales, making sure to not go against the grain. That wasn't a mistake he would make again. He could still feel Doctor S' dry bite to his shoulder, and he could hear the stuttered apologies, and see his gaze flick away in shame for a week.

It was hardly his fault that Rob had triggered a reflex.

"I don't know who put it here," Rob replied. "Probably just had nowhere else to put it."

"My cave is not a trash heap," Doctor S griped. "It is a _hospital_. Does King Julien not tell them to have any respect for the sacred space?"

Rob dug his nails in his palm. In truth, though he was polite to his majesty, he tried to avoid him. Being around him brought back bad memories of ill-fated vanity, the sting of betrayal, and it reminded him of his previous silly physical based attraction to the party loving royal. He had deeper roots with someone now, even if it hadn't produced any fruit… yet.

The tail around his wrist tightened. "Are you alright? I will not force you return to your duties if you are not feeling emotionally fit."

For all that he was often cavalier in his practices, the doctor showed decent sympathy at times, mainly toward his Nurse Phantom.

He blurted out, "We live together, we work together, everyone who cares enough to notice thinks it's more than - than - this. Why aren't we together, together?"

Doctor S pressed his tail to Rob's forehead and squinted. Then he rapidly blinked a few times. He turned away and covered his eyes with his tail. Rob reached out and rested a hand on his smooth scales.

"I am afraid I do not follow. I thought that _is_ what we were doing?" Doctor S huffed. "It seems I have miscalculated and courting a lemur is more complicated that I anticipated…"

"No! I mean uh - so does that mean - you want to be with me?"

"Yes, yes! I could not have been more obvious in my affections if I tried -"

"Well you could. Try, that is?"

"Ah - practicing medicine OUT OF A CAVE - that is my domain. Relationships are not my forte."

Doctor S added, "They can get so messy, and not in the good way."

Rob circled around until he was facing Doctor S. His tail gently and slowly wrapped around Rob's torso, cradling him.

Rob said, "Close your eyes."

Doctor S did so without question.

Rob leaned forward, clutching Doctor S' snout. As he got close, his tongue flicked out and tickled Rob's nose. He smiled, as much as his own muzzle would allow, and kissed Doctor S. For a moment Rob lingered with his forehead pressed to his snout.

"Sorry about the confusion," he murmured. "Do not worry, my Phantom, you never have to worry with me."

Rob hummed. "Good, because you'd regret it otherwise."

Doctor S chuckled. "There's the spirit I love."

Ted chimed in, "Hey, I hate to break up your love-fest but uh - I need to tinkle!"

"Shall we Nurse Phantom?"

"Yes, Doctor S, let's begin."

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"


End file.
